LOS ANGELES, UNITED STATES: Los Angeles Lakers coach Phil Jackson celebrates with the NBA World Championship trophy at the Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles 21 June, 2000. About 200,000 fans lined the streets to cheer on the Lakers after they won the 2000 NBA championship. (ELECTRONIC IMAGE) AFP PHOTO/VINCE BUCCI (Photo credit should read Vince Bucci/AFP/Getty Images)Phil Jackson celebrating his first of five titles with the Lakers, the first of which he apparently used clips from “American History X” to motivate his players. (Credit: Vince Bucci/AFP/Getty Images)

WASHINGTON (CBSDC) — Legendary basketball coach Phil Jackson, now current president of the New York Knicks, once compared opposing players and coaches to Edward Norton’s white supremacist character in the movie “American History X” and Hitler, to motivate his 2000 championship Lakers roster in the playoffs.

There’s a scene in the movie, shared between Norton (Derek Vinyard) and actor/comedian Guy Torry (Lamont), in which the two characters can be seen arguing over team loyalties of the Lakers and Celtics, that’s also been used by Jackson for motivational purposes.

“Well, you know, he had that little mustache, and he had that hair,” Torry said.

“That’s not very Zen-like of Phil,” Cakes said.

“Yes it is, because what happened was, during game study, he would have Jason Williams come down the court and then do a clip of Ed Norton from American History X, and then have Adelman on the sideline with his arms folded, and then a picture of Hitler,” Torry said. “So the players said, when they took the court, that’s all they could remember, because those were some tough battles in those years with the Sacramento Kings and the Los Angeles Lakers. And so, it was very Zen-like, to be honest, because they took that on the court with them.”

Jackson likes to splice together tape of his team juxtaposed with movies to motivate his team. Last week, for example, “The Green Mile” was interspersed into the team’s film session.

Against the Kings, Jackson weaved in the face of Kings guard Jason Williams with actor Ed Norton from the film “American History X” – presumably because of their resemblance with shaved heads.

However, the juxtaposition of a picture of [Rick] Adelman alongside one of German dictator Adolf Hitler – again because of a perceived resemblance – did not go over well with Adelman.

“If he did that, that’s crossing the line, I think,” Adelman said. “I’ve got my master’s in history, and Hitler did many things to which I would never want to be linked.”

However absurd such motivational tactics may appear to be, it’s difficult to deny their success, as Jackson’s Lakers would go on to win their series against the Kings, 3-2, then defeat the Suns, Trail Blazers and Pacers on the way to winning their first of three championships under Jackson.